As is well known in the art, a plasticized nitrocellulose base lacquer is ordinarily applied to a finger nail or a toe nail as a basecoat prior to the application of typical pigmented nail enamel. The primary function of the base coat is to provide adhesion between the nail and the pigmented nail enamels used for decorative purposes. However, many users of nail enamel suffer with nails that are damaged, very thin and soft Occasionally the nail may have slight tears or may have separation between the several layers of the normal nail. Repair of these defects ordinarily requires the use of a separate more adhesive type produce
The present invention is directed toward new produces and processes which provide enhanced repair and subsequent base coat enamels for damaged nails.
In accordance with the principles of this invention, a new and improved nail lacquer repair adhesive layer is applied to a damaged nail and repairs it. This new layer is both heavier and has higher viscosity than prior art layers. In particular, this new layer has a specific gravity falling within the range of 0.950 and 1.10 grams per cubic centimeter and a viscosity falling within the range of 500 and 3000 centipoise. Other than these unique characteristics of higher viscosity and higher density, the new layer contains well known and commonly used components, ie, a primary film forming ingredient, a supplemental film forming resin, plasticizers, and organic solvents for the film formers, resin and plasticizers.
The invention also employs an enamel base coat layer containing the same well known and commonly used components as the adhesive layer, but is characterized by both lower specific gravity and lower viscosity. In particular, this base coat layer has a specific gravity falling within the range of 0.700 and 0.950 grams per cubic centimeter and a viscosity falling within the range of 50 and 700 centipoise
The current invention provides both the ability to repair a damaged fingernail and a superior basecoat using a separate application first of the adhesive layer and secondly of the base coat layer. These applications can be made by a conventional nail enamel brush disposed in a single bottle. More particularly these two products are disposed as separate layers in this bottle. The more viscous layer with the higher specific gravity settles to the bottom of the bottle while the lighter less viscous solution rises to the top.
When the heavier more viscous bottom layer is filled first and the lighter less viscous top layer is filled second, the heavier layer settles on the bottom half of the bottle. The lighter layer will float and rest on top of the heavier more viscous bottom layer. When the brush is inserted it will extend into the bottom layer. When the brush is withdrawn from the bottle without mixing, the denser more viscous bottom layer clings to the brush and can be applied to the area of the nail-requiring repair. When no repair is required and the product is used as a base coat, both layers are mixed together and easily applied with the same brush. The adhesive nature of the bottom layer even when diluted by mixing with lower viscosity top layer provide a basecoat which provides outstanding adhesion between the nail and pigmented decorative enamels.
After the product is mixed and used as a basecoat and allowed to stand overnight in an upright position, the heavier more viscous solution settles back to lower half of the bottle while the lighter less viscous layer again rises to the top and is again ready for use either as a repair for damaged nails or can be re-mixed and used as a basecoat.
The separation of the two layers after mixing is accelerated when small particle size pigments are included in the heavier more viscous bottom layer. These small particle size pigments may either be an ultra-fine grade of titanium dioxide or ultra-fine zinc oxide. Both pigments are well known in the art of producing sun-blocking products. They are not typically used in nail enamels because of their low refractive index. While they are opaque in solution, they are transparent in dry film form.
This translucence is an advantage for formulating products of the current invention because base costs and fingernail repair adhesives are transparent as highly pigmented material would often dash with the colors of the pigmented nail enamels which may follow.